Blackfeather Woods so you run and you run to catch up with the sun

It was a fair question, but she didn't even have to think on the answer. Maegi shook her head, a small, rueful smile painting her maw. Damien wasn't really my family, she responded. I barely knew him. Just because we're connected by blood doesn't mean I'll miss him. You, Relmyna, Mou. . .you're my family. And you're here.

All three of the wolves she had mentioned came from different backgrounds, different bloodlines. Yet they were bonded to her more closely than Damien ever would be. Perhaps it was foolish to be so proud of her Melonii blood when, in the end, blood made little difference in who was closest to your heart. Maybe it was the name, rather than the blood, that mattered.

If the gods tell me about the Melonii bloodline, they'll tell me, Maegi continued. Otherwise, I have more important things to learn.